A Mexican national has been executed in Texas, despite appeals from the Mexican government and Secretary of State John Kerry.
Edgar Tamayo was put to death late Wednesday night by lethal injection, shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court denied a request to stay his execution.
Tamayo was convicted for the 1994 fatal shooting of a Houston police officer shortly after his arrest on suspicion of robbery, using a gun he had hidden in his pants.
His lawyers said Tamayo was not informed that he could obtain legal assistance from the Mexican consulate under an international agreement, the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.
Kerry urged Texas Governor Rick Perry and Attorney General Greg Abbott to reconsider Tamayo's execution, saying it could have a negative impact on Americans who find themselves in legal troubles abroad.
In a statement earlier this week, the Mexican government said Tamayo's execution would be "a clear violation" by the U.S. of its international obligations.
Back in 2004, the International Court of Justice urged the United States to review the death penalty convictions of 51 Mexican nationals, including Tamayo, on the grounds they had not been informed of their consular rights.
Edgar Tamayo was put to death late Wednesday night by lethal injection, shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court denied a request to stay his execution.
Tamayo was convicted for the 1994 fatal shooting of a Houston police officer shortly after his arrest on suspicion of robbery, using a gun he had hidden in his pants.
His lawyers said Tamayo was not informed that he could obtain legal assistance from the Mexican consulate under an international agreement, the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.
Kerry urged Texas Governor Rick Perry and Attorney General Greg Abbott to reconsider Tamayo's execution, saying it could have a negative impact on Americans who find themselves in legal troubles abroad.
In a statement earlier this week, the Mexican government said Tamayo's execution would be "a clear violation" by the U.S. of its international obligations.
Back in 2004, the International Court of Justice urged the United States to review the death penalty convictions of 51 Mexican nationals, including Tamayo, on the grounds they had not been informed of their consular rights.
